EIGHT helpless rabbits were found dumped at the top of the drive outside of Ferne Animal Sanctuary in Chard.

They are the latest animal to be dumped at the sanctuary after a kitten and dog were also abandoned there.

The three adult males, one adult female and her adorable babies were left in the cold in four cardboard boxes, hoping that someone would find them.

A member of the public who was visiting the Sanctuary, saw them and reported this to the staff from animal care. T hey immediately came to their rescue.

Tara Nirula, acting head of Animal Care at Ferne Animal Sanctuary said: “This is not only very distressing, but also frustrating. It is so unfair to the animals.

“A week ago, a black kitten was discarded at the Sanctuary in a box. Two weeks ago, a dog was left tied to Ferne’s entrance gate very late at night in gale force winds. “When this happens, we have no information on the animals that are abandoned, which makes re-homing more difficult.

“Referring to the dog, luckily, a member of staff who lives on site was out late that night so by sheer chance, the very distressed animal was found at 11.30pm. All that night the weather was terrible.

“We will not be re-homing any animals now until the New Year. People really should be more responsible if they need to find their pets new homes - and more importantly, think about the consequences for the poor animals they are abandoning."

Ferne Animal Sanctuary is a registered Charity relying solely on donations.

If you would like to support the Charity over the festive season, visit ferneanimalsanctuary.org or call 01460-65214.

The Sanctuary is open to the public all year round, except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.